Nigeria

Lockdown: Nigerians urge FG to deploy soldiers over security situation

Tuesday, April 14, 2020 at 11:48 AM by Kess Ewubare

- Some Nigerians have called on the federal government to deploy soldiers in areas that have experienced violence as a result of the lockdown

- The call followed pockets of robbery incidents which were alleged to have taken place in parts of Lagos by hoodlums

- In two polls conducted by Legit.ng, the majority of respondents suggested that soldiers should be deployed to restore order

Some Nigerians have called on the federal government to deploy soldiers to some areas that have experienced violence as a result of lockdown imposed in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja.

Residents in some areas in Logos state have cried to government and security agencies to rescue them from hoodlums unleashing mayhem.

Lockdown: Nigerians urge FG to deploy soldiers over security situation — Some Nigerians have called on the federal government to deploy soldiers in areas that have experienced violence
Source: UGC

Pockets of robbery incidents were alleged to have taken place in parts of Lagos as the hoodlums armed with guns, bottles and cutlasses dispossessed their victims of cash, food, and other valuables.

In two polls conducted by Legit.ng, the majority of respondents suggested that soldiers should be deployed to restore order in the affected communities.

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In one of the polls conducted on Facebook, 66% of respondents supported calls for the military to be deployed to affected areas while 34% said the police should handle the situation.

In the other poll conducted on Twitter, 52.8% of Nigerians favoured for the security situation to be handled by declaring soldiers while 32.1% said the police cud handle the situation.

Meanwhile, a report by The Sun indicates that some parts of Lagos state were on fire on Monday, April 13, following President Muhammadu Buhari’s announcement to extend the lockdown by another two weeks.

Recall that the Nigerian leader addressed the country in a nationwide broadcast where he announced that the initial two-week lockdown of the FCT, Lagos and Ogun states would be extended by an additional fourteen days.

The extension didn't sit well with some aggrieved youths who started rioting as areas such as Shasha, Orisunbare, Idimu, and Ejigbo were on fire.

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The thugs who appeared to be upset with Buhari's announcement took to the streets and started attacking innocent residents of the area.

They were also robbing, breaking into almost every shop and looted the goods

In another report, the Kaduna state government has expressed the fear that violation of the lockdown order in the state may jack up its cases of coronavirus to as high as 57,000.

The Nation reports that the fear was expressed by the state’s task force on COVID-19, saying that the risk assessment of the pandemic is troubling and could be up to 57,000 new cases if there is no effective enforcement and implementation of the lockdown order.

Legit.ng gathered that the task force was reacting to the sixth confirmed COVID-19 case involving a male patient who returned from Lagos state to Kaduna through a commercial vehicle after he tested positive for the deadly disease.